The body remained in the house until last night while a forensic examination of the scene took place.

Detective Inspector Alan Simmonds, from Rose Road CID, said at this stage the death was being treated as suspicious.

“We haven’t done a post-mortem yet so don’t know how the person died,” he said. “It was so badly burned we also cannot be sure if it was male or female.

“We need to preserve the scene and get vital forensic evidence, so we left it for as long as possible before moving the deceased.”

He has also launched an appeal for witnesses.

“We need to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time and saw anyone coming or going from the house before or around 2.30pm on Saturday,” he said.

Det Insp Simmonds said they were also anxious to hear from anyone who had contact with the occupant of the house in the 24 hours before the fire.

Meanwhile, Quinton councillor Peter Smallbone reassured local residents.

“Serious incidents like this are very rare and I’d like to reassure everyone that the police have their top people working on this,” he said.

“If you have any information at all, however insignificant it may seem, do phone Rose Road police station – don’t leave it to someone else.”

Anybody who can help is asked to phone Rose Road CID on 0845 113 5000.